Accusations
by Polaricey123
Summary: When Eggman tricks Knuckles into thinking that Rouge took the Master Emerald, he maliciously beats her until she is hospitalized. He now has to find a way to make it up to her. Mostly Knouge, a bit of Sonamy later. Rated M, features one of my OC's: Keisha
1. Chapter 1

_**Accusations**_

_By Polaricey123_

_The following is a KnucklesXRouge story. Do not read if you cannot handle M-rated situations._

She winced as she stroked her injured wing. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't go to the hospital and get it examined. If G.U.N were to figure out that... _he_ attacked her, they'd kill him. He shouldn't die because of his mistake, though he still had no right to beat her.

Her legs suddenly feeling weak, she sat down on the bed. Her eyes, red and puffy from crying, trailed over to her reflection in her mirror on the wall across the room. She saw the many bruises and scratches that marked her body, not to mention the mess he'd made of her wing. It was because of the damage done to her wing that she had to walk all the way home. She wasn't too fond of walking, but going to the hospital would attract her employer's attention, which would lead to an attack on Angel Island. They'd kill him, no doubt about that.

It wasn't Knuckles' fault, he didn't know she didn't take his precious Master Emerald. Still, he accused her of taking it and beat her within an inch of her life! Now she couldn't fly anywhere, she couldn't go to the hospital, she couldn't return to work tomorrow... she was trapped between healing herself and protecting him. It was obvious that she cared about him, but she was also worried about her wing. If she didn't have it treated soon, it would get infected!

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

'_They couldn't have figured out already, could they_?' She asked herself. '_What'll I tell them if they ask who did this to me?_'

Another knock. "Rouge, I know you're in there. Please open the door," came a soft voice on the other side.

Her heart fluttered at hearing his voice, but sank when her wing started to throb again. "Go away," she yelled a bit colder than she wanted to.

"Rouge, please let me in. We need to talk."

"Why should I?" She spat while glancing back at her limp wing. "I don't have your damn gem, Knucklehead!"

"I know," he said entering the unlocked apartment. It was the same he had left it the night before; a jumbled mess.

"So what the hell do you want?" Asked Rouge as she gently examined her wing.

He bit his bottom lip as he gazed at her. She, too, remained the jumbled mess he left behind. "I want to... apologize."

"Not accepted, not that it should be."

He sighed and sat down on the chair across from her. "G.U.N's chief, your boss, explained to me how it couldn't have been you who stole the Master Emerald because you were working on a case the night it was stolen. He called me as soon as it came up on the news."

She shook her head in disbelief as she rubbed her bloodied shoulder. The two of them went a long time without saying anything, though Rouge didn't stop rubbing her wounds and caressing her broken wing.

"You should get checked out," he suggested.

"I know," she stated bluntly. "Of course, what should I tell chief when he asks me how I got this way, Knucklehead?"

He bit his bottom lip again, then sighed. "Look Rouge, I'm sorry. Okay, I'm sorry."

She scoffed. "You're sorry? I came home from a long day of work to find my home tossed about with a note on my bed telling me to meet you on Angel Island. I get to your sunken rock to find you all pissed off and accusing me of stealing your precious emerald, the location of which you demanded to know though I had no knowledge of! You then proceeded to beat the living hell out of me until I became the bleeding wreck sitting before you, and all you can say is that _you're sorry_? ! ?"

She was so angry at him, but far more hurt. She hadn't made any attempts to steal that damned gem in about a _year_! That's a long time coming from her. About a year after her last try, he suddenly had the audacity to accuse her of stealing it when there was no physical proof that she had anything to do with it's theft? ! ?

The physical pain and emotional betrayal became too much for her, causing her to start sobbing. Before Knuckles could make a sympathetic gesture, Rouge pointed at the door. "Don't let it hit you on the way out," she rasped. She then laid down on her side and faced away from him, being careful about the placement of her broken wing. The echidna wasn't sure what to do, so he got up from his chair and leaned over her, making sure he didn't touch her as he did so.

"I'm sorry, Rouge. There's nothing I can do that can forgive this... but you really should see a doctor... before your wing gets too bad to be saved."

The young bat already knew this to be true, but she pretended to ignore him all the same. She visibly winced when she heard the door click shut behind him, then curled up into a tight ball and cried as loud as she could.

The elderly nurse's face twisted in understanding agony as soon as Rouge walked through the front door. "Damn honey, you look as though you got hit by a bus!"

She didn't reply, just pointed a shaking finger at her broken wing. The nurse only nodded and picked up the phone. "Dr. Potaloni? You're needed in the Waiting Room immediately."

Not two minutes later the double doors burst open and a young man of nineteen pushed out a wheelchair, followed by the esteemed Dr. Potaloni, himself.

"Rouge, dear, you look awful! What happened?"

She sighed as she gently slid down into the chair and was pushed off by Potaloni's young assistant. "Gang... members..." was all she could think to say.

The doc nodded. "I'll get your chief on the phone as soon as you're taken care of, dear. That wing will need to be examined immediately."

The young bat was suddenly afraid of what she'd say to her boss. Hardly any gangs could be found near her apartment, not that the ones that _could_ be found were enough of a threat to beat her like that. Her mind scanned her memory for any possible threatening gang name that she had faced in the past, but came up blank.

She was wheeled into a room already surrounded by four other doctors, who didn't hesitate to lift her from her wheelchair and set her gently down on the bed. Almost immediately she was surrounded by scalpels, scissors, bandages, anything the doctors could get their hands on. About a half an hour later she was toted to the surgery room, where they fixed up her wing with a splint and one tight bandage.

Pretty soon she was head to toe in bandages. They rubbed a strange oil on her bruises and cuts, but covered her cuts with more bandages.

'_Couldn't they have just given me a body cast? ! ?_' She asked herslef bitterly. '_Jeez, by the time I'm out of these bandages I'll be eighty!_'

Knuckles sighed as he continued his tread home. He had been hoping to talk with Rouge again, but found her gone when he went back. He had only figured that she took his advice and went to the hospital. Or, at least, that's what he _hoped_ she did.

He finally made it back to Angel Island when he noticed Sonic and Tails grinning at him from the foot of the altar.

"Hey guys," he mumbled. "What's up?"

"We found the Master Emerald!" exclaimed Tails.

That got the red echidna's attention. "What? Where is it?"

Sonic nodded in the direction Knuckles came. "G.U.N will be delivering it momentarily. Eggman had taken it again, but Tails and I were able to get it back. You're welcome."

Knuckles glanced at the ground. "Right... I'm not sure G.U.N will be so happy to see me."

The blue hero cocked an eye ridge. "Why's that?"

Suddenly, Amy came running out of nowhere. Instinctively, Sonic tensed up, but she didn't seem too interested in him... at the time.

"Guys, did you hear? Rouge is in the hospital! Some low-life beat her to a near pulp!"

Both Tails' and Sonic's eyes widened, but Knuckles' remained on the ground. "We've gotta go see her!" cried Sonic.

He, Tails and Amy all took off, leaving Knux behind. He already knew why she was in the state she was, and that she wouldn't want to see him. Though he was eager to see how she was doing, he didn't want to enrage her again. So he stayed put.

He suddenly heard a movement behind him, though he didn't have to turn around to know who it was. "Hey, Keisha."

The being he was referring to was a teenage purple cat whose mother's genes were spliced with the genes of a dead bird long ago by Eggman. Said experiment somehow gave the young feline behind him neon green wings and the ability to alter reality with dark magic. The same dark magic could be used for energy blasts and shields. She flew down from atop a tree and landed nimbly in front of him, her purple and green tail reaching up to fix her hair as her arms crossed in front of her chest.

"You know why Rouge is hospitalized, don't you?" she asked accusingly while narrowing her deep blue eyes at him.

He sighed. "It was an accident."

"Bull," she stated bluntly, "you don't _accidentally_ hurt someone as bad as that."

"It was a _misunderstanding,_" he corrected himself. "Eggman tricked me into thinking that she stole the Master Emerald, but Sonic and the others have gotten it back for me. G.U.N should be arriving with it momentarily."

Keisha scowled at the mention of G.U.N. They had been trying to get her to join them for a while now, and she still had no intention of doing so. Being ordered around wasn't necessarily her thing. Still, her sneer was also directed at the echidna standing not ten feet away from her. "You're such an idiot."

He glared at her. "Everyone makes mistakes."

"Not just about being tricked by Eggman, Knuckles. Rouge hadn't made any attempts to steal your gem for an entire year! Now, just because Eggman tells you it was her, you're inclined to believe him? Besides, if you knew the real reason she kept trying to steal the emerald, you would've known that it wasn't her that took it."

His red arms crossed in front of her chest and he looked off in the distance for any sign of a helicopter carrying an oversized glowing jewel. "I know I messed up. You don't need to remind me-"

"Of course I do! You're 'mess up' caused Rouge to be hospitalized!"

He sighed. "Care to share this real reason while I wait for G.U.N?"

The dark violet feline sneered at him again. "Unlike you, I actually care about my injured sister, so you'll have to find out her secrets in a different manner." They both knew Rouge wasn't Keisha's sister, but they hang out a lot and are so close that they might as well be. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to see how she's doing." With that, she spread her neon, almost angelic wings and bolted into the night sky.

Knuckles sighed as he watched her fly off. He thought about going with her to the hospital, but then G.U.N might arrive before he got back. Though he felt bad about the situation with Rouge, he still had a job to do.

He kicked at a tuft of grass with his left foot as he strode over to the steps of the altar. Sometimes he really hated this job, but it wasn't all bad. It gave him a reason not to get into another fight with Rouge or any of his friends that might be there, listening to her retell the events of the night before. Although the night before wouldn't have happened if it hadn't been for the Master Emerald.

'_No,_' he thought to himself, '_it isn't the Master Emerald's fault. It's mine. If I hadn't falled for Eggman's trick, I wouldn't have gone after Rouge. And if Keisha hadn't interfered, I would've killed her... I would've killed Rouge over something she never stole!_'

He could've given himself a concussion with the amount of frustration in his mind should he have started banging his head against the ground.

"Hey, girl! How you feelin'?" Keisha gently wrapped her arms around her bandaged sister.

"Like crap, but I feel a bit better then yesterday," replied the older female.

Suddenly a diamond necklace appeared from nowhere. Rouge stared wide-eyed as her younger sister gently put it on her. "It's... beautiful!"

Keisha gave her a gentle smile. "I knew a teddy bear and card wouldn't do much as a 'Get Well Soon' type of gift for you, so I grabbed something I knew you'd love."

The older bat's eyes narrowed at her sis. "Keish, what have I told you about stealing?"

Her feline companion grinned. "'Only in case of an emergency.' Well, I thought of your happiness during this dire situation as emergencenic. That your happiness might take your mind off of your injuries."

Rouge grinned. "Well... I guess you were right."

Keisha gently set a green paw on her sister's bandaged hand. "Sis... I saw him before I came over. I guess... G.U.N is going to return that jewel of his. Sonic and the rest found it in Eggman's clutches again."

"Is that so?" inquired the other. "Well, whoopie-fucking-do. I hope they knock him for a loop while they're there."

Her younger sis didn't laugh, only looked nervously at the bed and bit her bottom lip. "Rouge, why didn't you want me to carry you back to the apartment last night? Why did you want to walk back?"

She sighed. "Because if G.U.N was watching me, I wanted to make sure they didn't automatically assume you had done this. Then they'd also ask why you didn't take me to the hospital, they'll start thinking you wanted to take me somewhere else to continue abusing me, they'll start poking about your personal life and begin asking about your background and about Eggman's plans while you were in his factory, all that stuff."

At this thought, Keisha scowled in disgust at the bedsheets. "Let them poke and prod, they can't keep their hold on me. Their overbearing tendencies are one of the many reasons I won't join them."

"They mean well," Rouge stated defensively.

"They're idiots, even bigger ones than Knux. And that's saying a lot."

"What do you-"

"Shadow told me about what they did to Maria."

Rouge sighed loudly. "I see. One of their worst flubs."

"A mistake that killed Maria and destroyed the Professor's most valuable data? Not to mention killed countless people who were aboard the ARK that tragic day? A flub is a bit of an understatement, sis."

"Probably, not that we can do anything about it now."

Keisha shrugged. "What'd the doctor say?"

"I can... leave tomorrow if this antibiotic crap works like he claims it does."

The violet feline raised an eyebrow. "You don't seem too happy about that."

Suddenly the doors to the room burst open. In poured Tails, Amy, Sonic, and, for some odd reason, Shadow and Omega.

Poor Rouge became showered in hugs and presents that mostly consisted of teddy bears, flowers, candy, balloons, and cards. Funny thing is, all this attention only came from three of the five members that came into the room.

Shadow sighed when he saw a flustered Rouge being poked at by a curious Amy. "How did this happen?" he asked Keisha, who gave way to the other three.

"Knuckles... he mistakingly thought Rouge had taken his Master Emerald. Last night he trashed our apartment in a frantic search for it, then left behind a note telling her to meet him on Angel Island. He... lost it when she claimed to have no knowledge of its location."

His body tensed up. "I'll kill him," he threatened quietly.

"No, you'll only upset Rouge. She waited on getting treated until today to avoid G.U.N asking her questions and going after him. Don't let her suffering go to waste."

He mumbled a curse under his breath, but nodded gently at her suggestion. Omega said nothing, but watched as Tails, Sonic and Amy fondled over Rouge. Then the doors burst back open and two humans wearing black suits strolled in. One of them, who had sandy brown hair, removed his sunglasses and shot two icy blue eyes at Rouge.

"Rouge the Bat?"

She smiled gently at him. "Charlie, good to see you. How's the wife?"

"Irrelevant to this matter. Nice try, though. Now then, I have a few questions to ask you."

Keisha suddenly stepped in front of him. "Rouge has to rest her throat. In case you haven't noticed, she's in no condition to answer any of your questions."

Charlie raised an eyebrow at her, then nudged his partner. The other guy had hair as black as Shadow, but didn't remove his sunglasses. Instead, he grabbed her arm. "Ma'am, I'm afraid you're going to have to come with me." His voice was a little deeper than Charlie's.

She twisted out of his grip and released a black shield. Because they were standing so close to her, the impact of its release sent them flying out of the room and down the hall. When they returned to the room, both of their sunglasses had no lenses in them, even though Charlie had removed his, and Keisha was standing next to Rouge's bed.

"Sorry about that, but I'm _very_ protective of my sister. That, and I've got a problem with being touched."

Charlie's partner had fiery red eyes that looked like they were trying to shoot lava at the teenage feline right now, but she ignored them. Charlie, though very annoyed, only sighed and crossed his arms across his chest. "You must be Keisha the Cat, the escapee from Eggman's old robot factory, correct?"

"And if I am?" She inquired. Rouge suddenly sighed exhaustedly, which was all her younger sis needed as a sign of her fatigue. "Your... _questions _can wait until later, when sis is feeling a might stronger."

Charlie glared at her. "No they can't!"

Keisha returned his glare. "Don't make me ask you to leave again," she threatened.

They both left after shooting her one last death glare, slamming the door shut behind them.

Everyone turned back to Rouge, who appeared to be falling asleep. Shadow's crimson gaze shot over to his cobalt twin. "That goes for you three, as well. Beat it." Though he was talking to all three of them, he only looked at Sonic.

Said hedgehog protested, "What? No way, we have as much of a right to be here as you three!"

"We're Rouge's family," replied Keisha. "You're her friends, no doubt, but she's tired now and needs her rest. She won't get that rest with you three restless souls poking and interrogating her."

Amy angrily raised her Piko Piko Hammer. "Just try to make us leave!"

The violet feline next to Rouge's bed shrugged indifferently and waved her hand. Instantly, Sonic, Tails, and Amy all folded inwards as though they were made of paper. They had been warped elsewhere.

"When will she make a full recovery?" Asked Omega.

"Doc said tomorrow. He gave her an antibiotic for her wing," replied Keisha.

Shadow leaned against a wall on the left side of the room, folded his arms across his chest, then peered over at Keisha. "What did that bonehead Knuckles tell you when you saw him?"

"That he was mistaken and that G.U.N was returning his precious gem. He seemed pretty pale when I saw him, though. That's gotta mean _something_, right?"

"Yeah, that he felt bad for what he did. Hopefully he starts feeling even worse pretty soon." Crimson eyes glared outside as though they were looking for Rouge's attacker.

The young feline sighed. "Do you even know why she tried to steal that damn jewel back then?" she inquired after making sure her older sister was asleep.

"Because she likes jewels, of course," Shadow said matter-of-factly.

"No. Because she enjoyed toying with Knux."

The black hedgehog glared over at his younger sis. "What're you talking about?"

"You haven't noticed her strange behavior? The way she drifts off every ten minutes? The way she sighs whenever we mention his name? The way she gazes sadly into her reflection at home, as though wishing she were prettier?"

Shadow shrugged. "Didn't seem off to me."

Keisha rolled her eyes. "She's in love with Knuckles! She's always thinking about him and used those attempts to steal the Master Emerald as an excuse to see him!"

The dark hedgehog's eyes widened in realization. "Yeah, maybe you're right. Wait, I thought she hadn't tried to take that gem in a year?"

"She hasn't. I think that was her way of apologizing to him for all the other times she's tried to take it from him."

"But if that's the case, then why not just say so? Why not just tell him how she feels?"

Deep blue eyes stared back at their older brother in disbelief. "I seriously doubt that's something that's easy to admit. You can't just walk up to someone and say, 'Hi there, how are you? Nice to see you. By the way, I tried to steal the item you've been spending your entire life protecting because I love you with all my heart and wanna spend the rest of my life with you.' It's just not done that way. Besides, after having just been beaten by him, I think she's sort of upset that this might mean he doesn't feel the same way she does... "

The three of them glanced over at her. Still asleep.

Shadow sighed. "So what do you suggest we do?"

The question wasn't really directed at anyone, but Omega answered, "Perhaps it is best for us all to regenerate our lost energy."

"Yes, we can worry more about this tomorrow. We'll take her home tomorrow, then see where things go from there."

"Fine," the black hedgehog mumbled.

It wasn't long before they all found their sleeping spots throughout the hospital room. Shadow claimed the bed next to Rouge while Keisha took the seat next to her bed, despite how uncomfortable it was. Omega didn't necessarily sleep, he went into a robotic mode that allowed him to recharge his batteries.

The only sound in the room was the gentle hum of the ventilation system as all three of them faded away from the room and into their blissful rests.

_**End of Chapter 1**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Those of you who're confused, Keisha the cat is my OC (original character) whom you can learn more about at /d4tadev**_


	2. Chapter 2

"Come on, Keish! This really isn't necessary!"

Keisha and Rouge were making their way to their apartment a few blocks away from the hospital. Shadow and Omega had decided to visit later and let the violet feline take care of things for now. Keisha was flying overhead in search for any possible dangers that might stand in their way.

"Of course it's necessary! I've gotta protect you, sis!"

Rouge sighed. Though she loved her like crazy, she sometimes wished her younger sister wasn't so overly protective. Her wing was fully healed now, though her body was still covered in a number of scars, cuts, and bruises. The doctor had said that those will heal within a day or so.

The sun rose about half an hour ago. The morning air felt refreshing when it went through the young bat's fur, the scent of blooming roses from the flower shop next door and... dog food from the factory on the other side wafted through the air. How lovely.

Keisha flitted about in a circle high above the ground. She was anxious for some action that she knew she might not see, but remained on guard anyway.

"Keish! It'd be a lot better if you just walked beside me!" Rouge called up.

"But what if we're ambushed?"

"Then you can use your reality bending powers to save us, just come down!"

The young feline thought about it for a second, then joined her sister's side. "Fine, but only because you asked."

This made the other female giggle. "You're such a bleeding heart."

She stuck her tongue out. "I'm not sure if using my powers would be wise anyway."

"Why's that?"

"Because last night was the new moon. This means I've gotta wait until tonight to replenish my powers."

"Don't they also get replenished from sleep?"

"Yes, but not as much as by moonlight."

Rouge nodded. "If things get rough, I'm sure we'll pull through."

"Oh, I don't doubt that. I'm just a bit nervous, what with you being injured and my powers not at their peak of their strength and all..."

The two girls turned around another corner and grabbed the railing of their apartment complex. Something was off, however. The door was ajar. Their landlord was usually very picky about keeping it shut.

Keisha lept in front of her sister and slowly led the way. They checked the chart on the counter. Sometimes their landlord, Hal, would let people stay in the vacant rooms overnight for extra money. Times were tough to the point where landlords like Hal needed to run both a hotel and an apartment complex, but not nearly tough enough to keep the girls from staying there.

Two sapphire eyes narrowed at the sight of their owner's apartment door open. She stealthily snuck into the room and peered around. Nothing seemed odd... except for the sleeping red echidna collapsed on her sister's bed.

The young feline groaned in disgust and waved for her to enter. Rouge's eyes widened when she saw Knuckles snoring away on her bed, then turned away when she couldn't surpress a giggle at the sight. Despite his previous treatment towards her, she couldn't help finding this scene too cute.

Keisha was not as amused. She removed one of her sports shoes and threw it at their invader, successfully hitting him upside the head. He jolted awake.

"Whoozat? Who's...?"

The girls gave him a few moments to realize that he wasn't alone, nor was he on his home island. When his thoughts were finally gathered, he bit his bottom lip nervously.

"H-hey, Rouge. Hi, Keisha."

"Get out!" cried the violet feline.

His eyes widened. "Wait, let me explain-"

"You don't deserve to be given a chance! Leave my sister alone!"

Rouge gently set a hand in front of Keisha in a blocking manner. "Let him talk, sis. Talking isn't harmful." She turned back to their invader. "You've got five minutes."

"I came here last night hoping to talk to you, but decided to wait since you weren't here. I didn't expect you to be gone all night."

"Of course she was gone all night! She was at the hospital, you idiot!"

"Keisha, please!" The older female snapped as she slowly limped to her desk chair. Keisha, now somewhat annoyed, decided to scout about the rest of the complex for any other unwanted visitors. She eyed the echidna carefully before leaving the room.

Knuckles swallowed hard as he ran the words he had repeated to himself all night through his mind before speaking them. "Rouge, you have every right to be angry with me. I was out of line, stubborn, psychotic, gullible, and wrong."

"Just like always," she retorted.

He would've snapped back had he not been relieved to see her back to her usual self. "I made a mistake that could've been avoided had I taken the time to actually think about it. Thus, I wrongly injured and hospitalized you. I know no amount of apology can make up for what I did, but I am so truly sorry. I know I may not be deserving of it, but I hope you can find it within yourself to forgive me." He paused as he waited for a response.

Rouge shrugged. "Okay."

His eyes lit up. "I'm forgiven?"

"No."

He glared at her. "What? I give this dramatic speech about how I'm sorry about brutally injuring you and you say... that! ?"

She returned his glare. "Like you said before, no amount of apology can make up for what you did. My body wasn't the only thing you hurt, Knucklehead. You proved to me that you don't trust me after having stayed away from your damned jewel for an entire year. Now you want everything to be like it was just because you delivered a rather impressive speech? I don't think so."

His fury simmered down to cinders at what she said. He never really thought about how she was doing emotionally; he just assumed that she'd forgive him on the spot. Now he still had to do something else for his atonement and an apology wouldn't cut it. What else could he do?

She pinched the area between her eyes with her thumb and forefinger. "Would you please leave so I can get things around here picked up?"

Though he knew it wouldn't be enough of an atonement, he decided he could at least help clean the mess he caused. "Let me help. I did this, I should help fix it."

She nodded, then limped over to pick her curtain rods off the floor, making sure the curtains were smooth once they were hung back up. Knuckles worked on picking up the scattered garbage while Rouge folded some of her clothing that had been flung from her closet shelves. Keisha returned and started collecting pieces of Rouge's jewelry from the floor. She herself wasn't really one for jewels, though she loved the grayish white pendant she always wore. Nobody really knew where she got it, not even herself.

There was a knock at the door. Before anyone could answer, Charlie and his partner barged in to find one clean apartment, one annoyed cat, and an anxious bat and echidna.

"Rouge, we really need to talk to you. I see you've already destroyed our crime scene..." Charlie stated.

"Sis needs her rest," Keisha growled, "leave now." She really wanted to preserve her energy, and teleporting these goons away all day would surely drain her quickly.

"Absolutely not," his partner replied. "We've lost enough time as it is. Do you not want us to find your sister's attacker?"

The feline scoffed. "You two are the best agents G.U.N has, are you not? Surely you can do _something_ without Rouge. Have you ever thought that her attack and the previous theft of the Master Emerald could be related?"

Rouge and Knuckles shot her menacing looks that went unoticed by the two detectives. "We've considered this idea, though it seems highly unlikely."

"Did you even question Eggman after you recovered the Master Emerald?" asked Knuckles.

"You really expected him to tell us the truth even if we did?"

Keisha shrugged. "You'd probably get more out of him than you would an exhausted Rouge right now, anyway. Now leave."

They both stood their ground. "No way!"

She sighed as she raised a hand with purple flame-like energy surrounding it. "Need I ask again?"

Charlie's partner glared at her as they turned and left. Charlie placed a card on Rouge's desk before leaving, not that it would be of use.

The young feline turned to the echidna. "That goes for you too. Shadow and Omega are planning on dropping by later. I'm sure you wouldn't wanna be here when they do."

He nodded. "Yeah, plus I better make sure Egghead hasn't tried to take the Master Emerald again."

Rouge glared at him. "That'd be a real damn shame, now wouldn't it?"

He opened his mouth to say something, but stopped himself. He had a feeling that anything he said at this time would only make things worse. Without saying anything, he left.

The young bat's ears folded down after they heard the clicking of her shutting door.

"You okay, sis?"

She sighed. "Not really, no." She plopped down onto her bed and looked at her feet. "I really wish he'd stop coming around. It's getting harder to hold a grudge against him."

"Did he apologize?"

"Yes, just a few moments ago. He delivered one hell of an apology, too. He looked... hurt."

Keisha grinned as she put her sister's jewelry away. "Do I see that tough exterior starting to crumble?"

Rouge waved her off. "Still, if an apology won't be enough, what else could I make him do?"

"Why not ask him out on a date?"

Her heart fluttered at the suggestion, but she knew better. "Why try to fly to that height when he'll only shoot me down? I just got over being attacked, Keish, I don't need a broken heart to go with it."

"He owes you _something_, Rouge. He caused you pain, he drained your strength, he can take you to dinner in order to recover it." A smirk formed on her neon green muzzle. "Besides, I know how you're itching to be with him. You should hear yourself when you sleep." She batted her eyelashes similarly to how Rouge batted hers and folded her hands under her chin. "Oh, Knuckles, I love you so much! Oh, Knuckles, don't do that! You'll make me horn-"

"Okay, I get it!" Rouge replied rapidly as she turned tomato-red.

Keisha couldn't hold it in and burst into laughter. "You know I'm right, too!"

Still blushing a bit, the older female suddenly asked, "Shadow and Omega didn't hear me as well, did they?"

"No, no," she replied wiping a tear from her eye. "You weren't doing it in the hospital, I was just using an example from one night when you were sleeping."

Nodding a bit, Rouge worked on making up her bed as a distraction. After straightening the sheets and blankets, she stopped and picked up her pillow. Smiling dreamily, she traced her finger around the edges of where Knuckles' head rested.

"You really love him, don't you?"

She rose an eyebrow at her younger sister. "You doubted I did?"

Keisha shrugged. "At first I thought it was just a crush, but after seeing you go an entire year without going after his beloved jewel, an item you almost _never_ stop raving about, I had a feeling it was more than that."

Rouge giggled as she hugged the pillow to her chest. "You know... he saved my life, once."

"Get out of here!" the violet feline joked while pushing teasingly on the bat's shoulder.

"No, I mean it. I almost fell to my death once, and he saved me. He grabbed by hand at the last second." She frowned a bit at the floor. "Of course... at the time, I shrugged it off as him just wanting an excuse to hold my hand."

She smiled at this. "I love the nickname he has for you, though. It's cute."

The older girl smiled pleasantly as she whispered it, imagining him as she did so. "Batgirl."

Keisha glared at the door where Charlie and his anonymous partner stood earlier. "Might be wise to hold off on the date until those goons stop harassing you."

"I have to tell them _something_, Keish. I can't keep dodging them forever... "

"Just... tell them about that Vernon group, or whatever the heck they're called."

"Not 'Vernon', dear, 'Venom'. And I wasn't anywhere near their striking area when the emerald went missing."

"But you're investigating them, aren't you?"

"Well... yes... "

"Then there you go! Problem solved! Just say that you didn't see their faces, just their symbols on their jackets! I'll say the same thing, just tell me what they look like."

"Venom goons wear dark purple jackets with the picture of a bright green 'V' on their backs with the green dripping down the bottom parts of the fabric like acid."

The younger female scoffed a bit. "How quaint. But easy to remember, at least."

Suddenly, there was the sound of breaking glass coming from outside. Defensively, Keisha ran over and peered outside, only to find a certain robot and black hedgehog looking through the window of the apartment below theirs.

"Damnit, Omega! This one's vacant! You must have heard Keisha wrong!

"Negative. Memory banks confirm Keisha stating that she and Rouge live in apartment 33B of this building. However, current vacancy proves otherwise."

The violet cat couldn't help but chuckle at this. "Omega, I told you that three months ago before we were moved up here. We're in _65_B now. And really, you guys couldn't just come up the normal way? You had to climb the fire escape?"

"We didn't want to attract attention," Shadow admitted as he and his robotic friend climbed up to the correct window and entered.

Rouge laughed openly. "Yes, because breaking the window of the wrong apartment definately _won't_ attract attention."

"Good thing our fire escape is above an alley," mumbled Keisha.

"Indeed," agreed Shadow. "So how're you feeling, Rouge?"

"Better, thanks for asking."

"Sensors indicate the red echidna was here approximately seventy-five minutes ago. Pursuit initiated."

"Oh no, Omega, that won't be necessary," Rouge insisted. "He only came here to help us clean up and apologize for what he did."

"I still plan on having a few words with him," Shadow snarled.

"Please, we have this under control. You guys don't have to worry, Rouge and I can take care of this."

"Don't try pushing us aside here, Keish. Omega and I are-"

A sudden knock on the door cut them off. Before anyone could make a move to open it or ask who it was, it swung open and two sets of eyes peered in that did _not_ settle well with Keisha.

"Rouge, we need you to come with us."

"Can't you two goons leave her alone?" her metaphorical sister asked irritably.

"Not this time," spoke Charlie's partner. "There's been a break in the case. We just need her to come with us downtown to wrap up a few things."

"Did you talk with Eggman?" inquired Shadow.

"Indeed, we did. And he pointed us to the one who assaulted Rouge. We have him in custody now, we just need her to come with us to answer a few questions."

Keisha rubbed her temple. "Who could Eggman have fingered for this assault that made you actually believe him?"

Charlie looked at her menacingly before turning on Rouge's TV and turning it over to the news.

To their greatest dismay, Rouge and Keisha watched with great horror as photos of Rouge in the hospital were plastered over the screen and the reporter described them.

"-truly miraculous that she survived. What sort of monster could do this to such a sweet woman? Authorities say that Knuckles the Echidna turned himself in only an hour ago, claiming to be the assailant that caused this woman to be hospitalized."

_**End of Chapter 2**_


	3. Chapter 3

"Knuckles the Echidna?"

Said spiky creature raised his head and looked at the guard on the other side of the iron bars. "Yes?"

"You're free to go."

A dumbfounded look was all the moustached, middle-aged guard recieved from the red prisoner as he unlocked the cell. Soon enough Knuckles was striding out of the prison building and getting on a city bus that arrived shortly after his departure. Upon looking at the other faces there, his violet eyes locked onto a familiar bat's face who was patting the seat next to her, indicating a place for him to sit.

"Did you make me a license plate, hon?" she asked with a smirk as he took his seat.

"Are you out of your mind?" he whispered. "What'd you tell them?"

"What Keish and I planned on telling them; Venom members attacked me, not you."

"You lied to get me out of prison?" he gasped.

"I had to do _something_, Knucklehead. Couldn't just let you rot in there."

He rolled his eyes. "I'm a big boy. I can take care of myself."

The bus hummed as Knuckles stared out the window and watched buildings go by. A smile stretched across his face as he saw Amy chasing Sonic down the street with her Piko-Piko Hammer in hand. It pleased him to see this because it showed that even if his friends were faced with situations that required the fate of the world to be on their shoulders, they would always be the giddy and fun-loving friends he'd come to know and love.

Thoughts of overtaking the prison had often ransacked his mind while he'd been serving his sentence, but he had held himself back due to the inconvenience it would have brought him concerning his duties as guardian of the Master Emerald. Thoughts about its safety now crept into his mind, though he tried telling himself that it was fine. With Rouge sitting next to him, the only worry he'd have left is the Egghead trying to take it. Considering the fact that Sonic followed just about every move Eggman made, he figured he had nothing to worry about regarding his duties.

His voice broke the silence. "Why did you do it?"

Rouge was trying to reapply her already-fading-mascara when he asked the question. "Do what?"

"Why did you lie to get me out of prison?"

She shrugged. "You don't belong in there."

"I attacked you wrongfully and put you in the hospital, Rouge," he stated looking down at his hands. "How can you say I don't belong in there?"

She sighed heavily. "You made a mistake, Knucklehead. That's no reason to suffer in the home of serial killers, baby rapists, abusers, and other disgraces of humanity."

"That doesn't make what I did right," he mumbled crossing his arms over his chest.

"I didn't say it did."

Another long silence brewed between the two, making the tension in the air so thick it could almost be cut with a knife. There weren't that many passengers on the bus; Just a sleeping elderly man with white hair, and a brunette teenage girl discussing party plans with someone on her cell phone. The way she was cussing, Knuckles had his doubts she was talking to her mother.

"How have you been doing?" he asked looking out the window on the other side of the bus. All of the other seats were open, but would've made their conversation difficult to keep casual and quiet.

"Better, thanks for asking." She spread out her wing as much as she could to show it had healed properly.

"I'm glad to see that healed. It looked pretty bad..."

She rolled her eyes as she put away her makeup. "I'm not made of glass, you know."

"You're not made of bricks either," he shot back.

The bus rolled to a stop and the teenager got off, complaining about tasteless designs in certain dresses that Knuckles assumed her friend was suggesting to her.

"What about you? How have you been?" Rouge asked looking out her window. For some odd reason, neither one of them could really muster up the courage to look at each other.

"I've experienced better times," he admitted looking at the bus floor.

"You were only in there for one day."

"It felt like an eternity," he replied with a frown. "I don't do well in prison."

She was honestly starting to worry about what he had put himself through. "Did something happen?"

"Other than a fight, no."

"So, what happened?"

He waved his spiked hands indifferently. "Nothing, really. If you're wondering what prison is like, you're not missing much. Believe me."

"_Something_ must've happened to make you say you don't do well in prison."

"Nah, nothing happened. Time just went really slow... I was starting to worry about the fate of the Master Emerald."

This finally made her eyes lock onto him in an icy glare. "You turned yourself in for beating on me and the only thing you thought about was that damn jewel of yours! ?"

He returned her glare. "What do you want from me, Rouge? It's not like I _chose _to be its guardian! I was born with this duty stamped to my chest! Literally! How can you _not_ be expecting me to worry about its safety?"

She fell silent at that and shook her head in disbelief. The bus rolled to another stop and the elderly man yawned as he awakened, then departed from the bus.

Rouge wasn't quite sure what she was doing. She didn't quite have any plans when she got on the bus. All she had known was that Knuckles needed to get on this bus from the bus stop closest to the prison to get to Angel Island. From there she'd just gotten on the bus and waited for it to roll up to him. She didn't exactly have any plans following him getting on the bus.

_He still treasures that damn jewel...I mean, I know I love jewels as well, but there's a limit as to how much I love them. My life doesn't quite evolve around one..._

"You wouldn't understand," Knuckles said with a sigh.

"Understand what?" she replied.

"What it's like to be a guardian."

"I'm not sure I want to. I mean, your life is literally revolved around that gem. It's spectacular and gorgeous beyond anything I've ever seen, and I'd do anything to call it my own," she said as her eyes sparkled in excitement, as they often did when she thought about stunning jewels. "I can see how you would be proud to be its guardian. However, I'm not so in love with it to the point where I'd spend the rest of my life sitting around on an ancient floating rock in the sky with nothing but that emerald for company."

He looked at her a bit angrily. "I'm not a loser with no life, Rouge. I do other things besides guarding the Master Emerald."

"Like what?" she asked while folding her arms over her chest, her lips curved upwards in an amused smirk.

"Like... well... I help Sonic on his adventures."

"Oh, is that all? Sorry I doubted you, then. I thought you did normal things like go to the movies, go shopping, hang out with friends, things like that. But I guess if all you do is help Sonic on his adventures, that's surely all you need to do to have a fun life," she said sarcastically.

He sighed irritably. "Whatever. I don't need to explain myself to you."

The bus rolled to another stop and Rouge pushed past him to get off. She stopped once she was out of the seat and turned back to him.

"No, you don't. It's not like you _owe _me anything, anyways."

The red echidna tried to speak but found his words caught in his throat.

_Damnit... I DO owe her. I have to do something for her to make up for what I did..._

"But as tempting as an explanation of your pathetic life is, I think I'd prefer something else."

"Like what?"

"I don't know," she said rubbing her head. "Maybe you should ask your shining green friend on that stupid island of yours, since your life revolves around it and such." With that, she got off of the bus.

XxX

Knuckles sighed as he climbed the altar steps to the Master Emerald and sat on the top one. Fatigue and weariness made him want to lie down somewhere and take a two-day nap. However, a certain purple and green figure approaching him emitted a pained groan from the red echidna, for he knew that he wouldn't be getting any rest with her around.

"Happy to see me?" Keisha asked sarcastically as she leaned against one of the nearby pillars.

"Thrilled," he deadpanned in response.

"Heard on the news about how you turned yourself in. No doubt big sis came and bailed your ass out."

He sighed irritably. "What do you want from me, Keish? I tried doing what was right and turned myself in so that I could pay for what I did. It didn't work; Rouge lied to the local authorities to get me out of prison."

"Of course she did," she replied sitting next to him. "Rouge cares about you too much to let anything bad happen to you... even if you deserve it."

The red echidna groaned while propping one elbow up on his knee and setting his head on his hand. "Then what can I do for her that doesn't involve being punished for what I did?"

"I'm not sure."

"I mean, I feel excrutiatingly bad for what I did. Isn't that punishment enough? Is that enough for me to repay her with?"

Emerald eyes glared over at violet. "That's a fucking stupid way to let someone off; Ensuring that they feel bad about what they did. I sure as hell am not letting you off easy just because you feel bad about what you did. You deserve to feel bad about what you did to Rouge."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Sounds like you resent me more than she does."

"You don't mean as much to me as you do to her," she replied matter-of-factly. "She means more to me than you do. That's why I'm holding more of a grudge against you than she is. You hurt my sister who might be able to easily forgive you for hurting her because you mean a lot to her, but not me."

"Wait... I mean a lot to her?" he asked staring at Keisha.

"Well, you two have become a lot more friendly towards each other in the past year. You two certainly aren't just rivals anymore."

"Yeah, that's true... "

Suddenly, Keisha's emerald eyes shined over at him. "Why don't you take her out to dinner?"

"What? Dinner?"

"Yes, dinner. You two can talk things over, and maybe you can take her to the movies as well. You know, show her you actually have a life other than living on this bland island."

He itched the back of his head nervously. "You mean... like a date?"

Her eyes rolled. "No, you moron. Like a good time out with a friend. Friends eat out at restaurants and go to the movies. They laugh, joke around, share stories, goof off, and just have a generally good time. Of course, seeing as how the only friend you've ever had is the spinning green rock behind us, I doubt you would have ever known that's how friends spend some of their nights."

The red echidna growled at her a little, but the more he thought about it the more her words made sense. "Dinner and a movie. It sounds like a pretty good idea."

"It's something," she replied looking out to the horizon. "I'll be watching the date to make sure you don't hurt her more by screwing up, though."

"Don't resent me for asking this, but what about the Master Emerald? Who's going to watch it while I'm gone?"

Keisha shrugged. "I guess I can talk Shadow and Omega into watching it."

He nodded. "Sounds like a good idea. They're both pretty strong and are capable of handling whatever might come after it."

"Of course it's a good idea. It's one of mine," she said with a smirk.

Knuckles chuckled as he watched her fly off. A warm feeling filled his heart and made it flutter a little the more he remembered Keisha's words.

_"Rouge cares about you too much to let anything bad happen to you..."_

_"You hurt my sister who might be able to easily forgive you for hurting her because you mean a lot to her..."_

_"You don't mean as much to me as you do to her..."_

He wasn't sure why, but those three statements made him feel... happy. Enlightened. Overjoyed. Eccentric.

Hearing those words even made him feel better than being back home after three long days.

XxX

"Uh... I'm not sure I'm ready for this, Keish."

Rouge and Keisha were standing outside the restuarant. The older female was wearing a silver silk dress, which was a little tight around the upper half of her body, and matching heels. She'd outdone herself with her makeup and wore a pearl necklace with matching earings and a ring on her right middle finger with a fake diamond encrusted in the center. She looked like a diva, which wasn't unusual for her. She certainly stuck out like a brightly shining star in the night sky in comparison to those who were in the area, though.

Keisha smiled as she brushed a little speckle of dirt off of her sister's dress. "What's the worst that can happen? Just relax and try to enjoy this night, Rouge. This is something truly special, to go out on an unofficial date with the guy you really like. Just have fun, okay?"

"I'll try," replied the other uneasily. "I just hope I don't turn into a blubbering mess."

Keisha couldn't help but laugh at that statement. "I know you well enough to know that that won't happen. That's never happened before, and I doubt that'll happen now."

"There's a first time for everything."

Another light laugh. "Well, let's just pray that it doesn't happen tonight. Now, you head on in. Maybe he's gotten here all ready and is waiting for you in there."

Rouge smiled a little apprehensively as she hugged Keisha and entered the restuarant. She looked around for Knuckles, but frowned when she didn't see him.

_Keish told him earlier where to meet me... I guess I'll get us a table while I wait for him to arrive._

Meanwhile, Keisha had flown up to the roof of a building across the street from the restaurant and made herself comfortable laying against a brick chimney with her hands folded behind her head.

The street below was rather silent. The sound of police vehicles could be heard in the distance, but that was nothing new. A few people gathered to discuss a new gallery opening and some talked about the next movie of some crappy vampire love story saga coming out in theaters in a few days.

A heavy sigh forced itself from the depths of the young feline's lungs. About seven years had passed since she'd become friends with Sonic, Rouge, Tails, Amy, and all of their other friends. It felt like it'd been so much longer, though.

_It feels like I've know them for all of eternity. If I'd known eight years ago that I'd make friends as amazing as Rouge and the rest within the next year, I would've given Eggman a piece of my mind in such a powerful way that even his ancestors would have felt ashamed of themselves._

She could still envision the chrome hallways and robotic servants Eggman kept all over the place. Her mind's eye still recognized the training room she spent her days beating on androids and tearing apart rusty machines. She'd spent so long showing Eggman what she was capable of, but she herself never really knew her purpose for being alive. That is, until after she'd met Sonic.

Sonic and friends were all going after Eggman, who'd gotten a hold of the seven Chaos Emeralds and kept boasting about how he'd found a new weapon that would surely make Eggmanland become a reality. While he had been roaming the halls of the facility that the Emeralds were kept at, Sonic was captured by a security robot and thrown into a prison cell. He'd tried to cut through the bars, but they were electrically charged. He couldn't touch them with his spines without getting painfully shocked. That's when he met Keisha.

*flashback*

At first, she was surprised to see him because not two days earlier Eggman had instructed several of his androids to "Hunt down that pesky hedgehog and do anything possible to keep him from interfering with his plans." He'd also shown Keisha a picture of Sonic and told her to attack him if she ever saw him.

Yet, there he sat. In a jail cell.

"Who are you?" he asked boldly.

She didn't reply. Her eyes just stared back into his.

"Could you help me get out of here, please?"

Again, no response.

"You're not much of a talker, huh? Well, could you at the very least tell me your name?"

With this, her eyes trailed to the ground. Nobody'd ever asked her for her name before. Robotnik always referred to her as Splice for reasons she wasn't sure about.

"No need to be shy. Here, maybe knowing who I am will make it a little easier for you." He stood upright and gave her a thumbs up while flashing his trademark smile. "I'm Sonic. Sonic the hedgehog."

"I know who you are," she replied in a tiny voice. "Dr. Robotnik sent out a lot of robots to kill you. And he told me to do the same if I saw you in this laboratory."

Sonic was taken aback at first. "So, you _can_ talk!"

"Yes."

"Well, what's your name?"

She looked at the floor again.

He frowned. "What's wrong? Do you not like your name?"

"It's not that. I just... I don't have a name."

He cocked an eyeridge. "No name? Well, what does the Egghead call you?"

It was her turn to raise an eyebrow. "Egghead?"

"Yeah. You know, Eggman, Eggster, Egghead, Baldy McNoseHair?"

Her face looked even more confused than before. After a few minutes of thinking about it, she suddenly realized. "Do you mean, Dr. Robotnik?"

He nodded.

"Well... he calls me Splice."

This provoked another raising of a blue eyeridge. "Splice? Like... like the movie?"

She shrugged.

"Well, what animals were used to make you?"

Another shrug.

"I'd be willing to help you find out if you helped me get out of here," he suggested in a kind voice.

She shook her head. "I can't help you leave."

"Why not?"

"It's one of the rules; No helping prisoners in any way."

Sonic sighed. "Rules shouldn't keep you from helping someone if you want to. Don't you want to break the rules and help me?"_  
><em>

"Um... no. No, I don't."

"Well, why not?"

She shook her head before walking to the exit of the room. "I'm sorry, Sonic. I wish I could help you, but I can't."

"Can you at least tell me where I am?"

She looked back at him. "Dr. Robotnik's Exceptionally-Amazing Rotationary Laboratory."

He gaped at her. "How do you remember that name so well?"

"DREARL," she replied before leaving.

A feeling of dread filled her stomach, but she sighed and walked down the hallway. A few cleaning robots and even some fighting bots passed by her. Her guess was that either a new foe broke into the facility, or they were running to their master to receive their next orders.

She noticed that one of the cleaning bots left a door open and decided she'd better close it. The last cleaning robot that made a mistake during its job was disassembled and used for scrap metal. Keisha didn't want that reoccurring just because of an ajar door.

As she went over to close it, she noticed that it was one of the doors that Dr. Robotnik always kept firmly shut and locked. Being 90 percent cat, her curiousity got the best of her and she couldn't help but look inside. What she saw made her gasp and run back to help Sonic escape from the prison cells as fast as she could.

What she saw... were two dead animals on an operating table and a case with orange liquid in it that she remembered awaking in one day. One of the animals was, disgustingly enough, a piece of roadkill just about anyone could find in the road.

One was a lime green bird whose species probably best resembled a parrot. The other was a gorgeous, dark purple cat the likes of which was probably now extinct.

Her parents, whose genes were probably spliced together. To form her.

*end flashback*

Keisha sighed as she massaged one of her neon green wings. She'd decided on a different name after she'd escaped Eggman's laboratory with Sonic and the others when they'd gotten back the Emeralds. She knew why Eggman was so keen on getting them, as well. He thought he could control her powers if she was influenced by the seven Chaos Emeralds and conquer the world. Shadow was easily influenced by the Emeralds, maybe she was too. But, nope. She can't harness the Emerald's powers, other than warping from place to place with Chaos Control.

A commotion down on the streets made her lean slightly over the edge of the roof to get a better view. It looked like it was Amy chasing Sonic, as usual, but something was off. The blue speedster was usually a lot quicker than he was now. He looked sluggish and tired. Then he stopped running altogether and turned to face Amy.

It was getting harder to see what was going on, so Keisha flew down to an alley not far from where they were. She peered over a dumpster at them and watched the scene unfold. Sonic was gripping the head of the Piko-Piko Hammer in mid-swing and Amy did _not_ look pleased.

"Sonic, let go of my hammer this instant! I want you to hurt as much as you hurt me!"

The older hegehog sighed down at her before wrenching the hammer from her hands and holding it away from her. "Amy, this has to stop."

"Stop? The only thing that needs stopping is you holding my hammer away from me. Give it back!"

Sonic shook his head. "No, Amy. You need to stop chasing after me and threatning to hit me if you don't get what you want from me."

"Well, how else am I supposed to get you to do something nice for me? Pain is an excellent motivator, you know," she stated with a broad smile.

"How about by asking nicely?"

She folded her arms. "You'd never say yes if I asked you, and you know it!"

He sighed again. "I might say yes, and I might not. If I don't want to do something, you have no right forcing me to do it. That's not how a relationship works, Amy. A person should only do something nice for the other person if they want to, not because they're being forced to do it."

A sad look came into her eyes as he talked. "But... you _never_ want to do something nice for me."

"That's because I'm always fearing you instead of thinking about doing something nice for you."

This caused her to look at the ground in shame. Sonic used a gloved finger to lift her head up by her chin and meet her gaze.

"Chasing me around and threatning to hit me should you not get your own way is not a very mature thing to do. You're, what, twelve? You're almost a teenager. A teenager doesn't act as immaturely as a child. Children throw hissy fits and even hit people when they don't get their own way. You're not a child, are you?"

Amy's bottom lip quivered as she realized the validity of his words. "N... no... "

His eyes grew softer at her reaction, but his voice remained firm. "So, you'll stop acting like one, right?"

She sniffed and nodded.

Sonic smiled a little at this and held her close in a warm hug. "_Now_... I feel like doing something nice for you. How about if we go see a movie together? Just you and me."

Amy then surprised both Sonic and Keisha by squealing in a high-pitched manner equivalent to that of a fan-girl shriek. They've seen her get excited, but not the the point where she actually squealed like a fan-girl. The couple then walked down the street hand-in-hand.

Keisha smiled as she watched them leave. Afterwards, she returned to her post up on the roof of the building and smiled up at the stars as she thought about the relationship between Amy and Sonic.

About an hour later, the door swung open and Rouge came running out, crying. Confused, Keisha left her perch on the roof of the building and flew down next to her sister of sorts.

"Rouge, what's wrong?"

She wiped away some of her running mascara before answering her. "That asshole never showed up!"

"Wait, what?"

"Knuckles! He never showed up for dinner!"

Keisha frowned as she tried to calm her down. "Easy, Rouge, easy. Just tell me what happened. Slowly."

"The waiters held off on serving me for as long as they could before they finally said, 'Ma'am, either order something or leave. We need to keep some of these tables clear for those who are actually going to eat.' So, I ordered my dinner thinking that by the time it was prepared and served he'd be there. I picked at it bit by bit until there wasn't anything left. I waited thirty extra minutes in case he showed up late, but he never did!"

Keisha bit her lip as she watched her sister weep. "Maybe... maybe he went to the theater first."

"Amy sent me a text telling me about how she and Sonic are going to the theater together, but when I asked her if she saw Knuckles there she said no!"

She bit her lip again while searching her mind for an explanation that would make the older female feel better. Unable to come up with anything, she draped an arm around Rouge's shoulders and held her close as she walked her home. Rouge continued to cry on Keisha's shoulder while she was led away.

_He stood me up... he promised he'd make it up to me, but he lied. He doesn't care about me. All he cares about is that stupid gem of his on that stupid floating island. All he cares about is himself..._

**_End of Chapter 3_**


	4. Temporarily Discontinued

I know you all were hoping for and expecting a new chapter for this story to be published, and I want to apologize to you all for making you wait so long for an update. I'm actually having a lot of trouble typing these stories…I have the chapters planned out and everything, it's just getting back into them that's difficult. Let me assure you, I have absolutely NO plans of deleting any of my unfinished stories thus far, but I think I need to take an extended vacation from trying to type them. I fear that if I force myself to finally type the chapters that they won't be the best that I can make them, and the last thing I wanted to do was type up some crappy poorly-written updates for stories you've been waiting so long for. I feel like you deserve better than that, and I'd rather have you wait for me to put my heart into these stories than just throw out crap and label it as what you've all been waiting for.

Another thing to note is that just because I'm putting Attack of the Fairies, Accusations, and Strengths and Weaknesses on hold that does not mean I'm not going to submit any more stories for the time being. I actually have a lot of oneshots I made a long time ago that I've only now just dug up and am looking at. I want to give you guys _something_ to read while I try to regain my muse for my three unfinished stories, and I think working on smaller projects will eventually give me the inspirational fuel I need for these three big boys.

I want to apologize again for leaving you all in the dark for so long. When I started Accusations and Strengths and Weaknesses, I didn't exactly count on them turning out to be as largely planned as they are. I understand if you're furious at me or whatever and I understand if you'd rather not waste time waiting on me to friggen update. That's reasonable and I wouldn't blame you for losing your patience with me. I just don't want these projects to go from uninspired ideas to worn-out obligational chores. To me, when writing becomes a chore that's when it loses its charm, and I don't want that for any of my stories.

Thank you for your time.

...

You may now unleash your anger upon me TwT


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